History Often Vindicates the Dreamers

Dreamers, skeptics, and the future: Defending hope against cynicism in a society where idealism becomes suspect

On 19^th May 2026, the South Korean newspaper Segye Ilbo published an opinion column by journalist Jeong Seong-su (정성수) reflecting on the meaning of peace activism, Korean reunification, and the tendency of modern societies to dismiss idealistic visions as unrealistic or even irrational. Although the article emerged from a specifically Korean social and political controversy involving the investigation of a religious organization, its broader themes are universal: How should societies treat people who continue to advocate for peace during periods of conflict and cynicism? At what point does skepticism become contempt for moral idealism itself? And how often has history eventually vindicated people once ridiculed as dreamers?

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To understand the article, it is important to recognize the historical memory that shapes much of modern Korean political thought. Korea spent decades under Japanese colonial rule from 1910 to 1945. During that time, many Koreans lost hope that independence would ever return. Japan appeared militarily and politically invincible, and major world powers showed little interest in Korea’s fate. Some Koreans accommodated themselves to colonial rule, while others continued to fight for independence despite overwhelming odds. Looking back today, modern South Korea celebrates the independence activists who refused to surrender hope, even when their cause seemed impossible.

The columnist uses this historical example to make a broader moral argument. During the colonial period, people who insisted that Korea would someday regain independence could easily have been dismissed as unrealistic idealists detached from political reality. Yet history ultimately remembered them not as naïve dreamers, but as individuals whose convictions helped shape the future nation.

The article specifically invokes Kim Gu (김구 – 1876-1949), one of Korea’s most revered independence leaders, who maintained the cause of Korean sovereignty while operating in exile through the Korean Provisional Government (임시정부) in Shanghai (1919-1932). At the time, his efforts may have seemed futile to many observers. In retrospect, however, his persistence became a symbol of patriotic courage and moral conviction.

From this historical foundation, Jeong’s article moves into a contemporary issue. According to the columnist, a religious believer involved as a witness in an investigation connected to a religious organization (종교단체) claimed that investigators had treated discussions of Korean reunification and world peace as essentially “delusional”. The opinion piece does not argue against the legitimacy of criminal investigations themselves. In fact, it explicitly acknowledges that state institutions in a democratic society have both the right and the responsibility to investigate acts alleged to be unlawful. The concern raised by the columnist is different: whether authorities or society at large cross an important line when they begin mocking not merely unlawful behavior, but the ideals and aspirations that individuals hold.

The author argues that peace and reunification may indeed appear unrealistic under current global conditions. Relations between North and South Korea remain tense and frozen. International politics are dominated by war, strategic rivalry, economic inequality, and geopolitical competition among major powers. Against such a backdrop, calls for world peace or Korean reunification can sound abstract, distant, or impractical. Yet the article asks whether difficult circumstances should lead humanity to abandon such aspirations altogether.

A central idea running throughout the column is that societies become morally impoverished when they reduce all idealism to fantasy or madness. The author warns that a culture of excessive cynicism risks destroying the very capacity to imagine a better future. Even if peace and reunification seem unattainable today, the article argues that someone must continue advocating for reconciliation, dialogue, and hope. Otherwise, societies may become trapped in permanent hostility and despair.

The column also emphasizes that the aspiration for Korean reunification is not merely a religious slogan or the agenda of a single group. In South Korea, reunification has historically been understood as a constitutional and national objective. The South Korean constitution itself contains language affirming peaceful reunification as part of the nation’s mission. Therefore, the Segye Ilbo article argues, dismissing reunification as “delusion” is not simply criticism of one religious movement; it potentially reflects a broader erosion of confidence in shared national ideals.

To strengthen this argument, the columnist places the issue within a larger global historical framework. Many moral and political causes that are widely accepted today were once considered unrealistic or impossible. The abolition of slavery, women’s suffrage, and the dismantling of racial segregation all began as ideas that powerful institutions and mainstream opinion frequently rejected. Social progress often depended upon minorities who persisted despite ridicule and opposition. According to the article, human civilization advances precisely because some individuals continue pursuing ideals that initially appear unattainable.

The piece also invokes the ancient Chinese philosopher Mencius (맹자), quoting the phrase: “Those who oppose Heaven perish; those who follow Heaven prosper” (逆天者亡 順天者興). In this context, “Heaven” (하늘) is interpreted not narrowly in a religious sense, but more broadly as moral conscience, ethical principles, and humanity’s enduring aspiration toward justice and communal well-being. The article suggests that the pursuit of peace and reconciliation belongs to this larger moral tradition. But more than that, reporter Jeong portrays the longing of his people for peace and reunification of the peninsula “as part of the inevitable moral current of our age”.

At its core, the column is not primarily about one religious organization or one legal case. Rather, it is a reflection on the relationship between realism and idealism in public life. The author accepts that democratic states must uphold law and investigate wrongdoing. However, he cautions against allowing legal or political conflicts to evolve into contempt for moral aspiration itself. Democracies, he argues, should judge unlawful actions through legal processes, but they should remain careful not to ridicule people merely for holding ambitious or hopeful visions about humanity’s future.

For non-Korean readers, the article offers insight into several important aspects of contemporary Korean thought. It reflects the continuing emotional significance of the independence movement (1919-1945) in Korean historical consciousness, the enduring symbolic importance of reunification on the Korean peninsula, and the tension between pragmatism and idealism in a rapidly changing society. More broadly, it speaks to a universal human question: whether societies retain the courage to pursue peace and moral progress even during periods when such goals seem politically unrealistic.

Ultimately, the article argues that history is often shaped not by those who dismiss hope, but by those who continue defending it despite ridicule.

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Text: Knut Holdhus, editor

Featured image above: History vindicating dreamers. Illustration: ChatGPT, 20th May 2026

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